Hydrocarbon-burner.



m. es2,94|. v Patented Dec. 4; 1900. w. R. JEAvous, HYDROGARBON BURNER.

(Application filed may 25, 1898.

(No Model.)

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STATES PAEN FFICE.

WILLIAM R. JEAVONS, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

HYDROCARBON-BURNER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,941, dated December 4, 1900.

Application filed May 25, 1898. Serial No. 681,681. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, WILLIAM R. JEAvoNs, a

V citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydrocarbon-Burners; and I do declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to hydrocarbon-burners; and the invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, substantially as shown and described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section, of a single burner and oil-supply and associated parts comprising my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a section of the oil and vapor trough, including the oil-supply, as hereinafter fully described.

The present invention is of the kind in which the heavier hydrocarbons, such as kerosene, are used, and it is designed to accomplish several important objects, as will appear in a further description of the invention.

A represents the base of the burner, provided in this instance with a tubular pedestal a, supported and adapted to slide up and down on a fixed post B. A lever O has an eye over the post on which the base A rests, and this lever is fulcrumed at one end on uprights c and at the other end has a handle, and a ratchet-post D serves to engage the lever and hold it in any placed or adjusted position.

This is a simple form of mechanism for raising and lowering the burner-base, and it may be substituted by any equivalent or equal mechanism, the object in any event being to provide easy and simple means for lifting or lowering the burner in respect to the fixed oilsupply tank or reservoir D. A flexible pipe or tube E connects the base A and oil-supply tank E, and while I preferably use a light brass pipe for this purpose any other yielding metallic or other pipe, tube, or hose may be used, if preferred. By bending the pipesay as shown-all the flexibility I need is afforded in the bend. The tank D has a wellknown mechanism in its bottom for maintaining a substantially constant or fixed oil-level,

and a corresponding level will be maintained through pipe E in the base A, and the volume of oil passing into the base A may in a measure be regulated by adjusting the base in relation to the oil-level by means of lever O or its equivalent.

The base A is shown here as annular, though it may be oblong, and is formed with several distinctive features, including a trough 2, which for convenience of descrip tion may be regarded as that portion of the base below the two seats 3 and 4: for the perforated combustion -tubes G and H. Each seat 3 and 4 is shown as a shouldered ofiset in the base, and on the outer side of trough 2,

about half-way its depth, is an outwardlyset shoulder or ledge 5, which forms a seat or rest for a band-shaped non-combustible and capillary lighting-wick L. This wick or ring is preferably about the same thickness as the depth of its rest or seat 5, so that it leaves the bottom and sides of trough 2, except the portion covered by said ring, exposed directly to heat radiation from the combustion-chamber, and the ring extends upward from its seat pastseats 3 and 4, with its top practically on a plane with the lowest perforations of the combustion chamber. With this arrangement not only is the oil and vapor space in the trough exposed to direct heat radiation from the combustion chamber, but by means of the lever O the trough may be moved in such relation to the maintained oil-level that while oil may be maintained wholly around the bottom of the trough, yet the capillary ring will be above this oil and will have little or no influence on its vaporization. Oil is supplied to this ring and is carried by capillary action to its top edge, and as this top edge isin acertain definite relation to the flame at the lowest perforation 7 in the combustion-chamber it will be apparent that whether the oil-level is just sufficient to cover the base of the ring or at a higher point there is but slight difference in the conditions for vaporization, as in either case the oil is presented for vaporization at the top of the ring. When, however, the relation of the oil-level and trough is changed to raise the base of the ring just above the oil-level, oil is no longer presented at the top of the ring in close proximity to IOO Ltd

the flame, but is, in effect, presented on a considerably lower plane, and the direct result is a lessened rate of vaporization, with consequently somewhat lower flame.

In cases where the lighting-rings become defective and do not present oil for vaporization at all points alike and where the capillary ring is directly on the bottom of the trough and has no oil-space below it and the oil flow is sufficient only to reach part Way around the trough, and thus supplying oil only to one section of the ring, the flame is apt to be uneven and unsatisfactory. By leaving the vaporizing area below the ring, as described, uneven flame from these causes is avoided.

The trough 2 is deepest at the side where the oil enters, the'bottom of the trough being gradually inclined upward from the oil-inlet. By this construction and arrangement the raising or lowering of the trough causes the oil-surface to extend more or less around the burner and to cover a greater or less area in the bottom of the trough. Thus if the trough be raised in relation to the oil-level so that the oil is exposed over only a small area in the bottom of the trough a smaller measure of vaporization occurs than with the oil covering a larger area, and a relatively-lower flame results, and by moving the trough up or down any desired height of flame may be obtained. The inclined bottom of the trough also facilitates the extinguishing of the flame, as when the trough is wholly raised above the oil-level the oil more readily drains back into the feed-pipe.

It will be seen that the band-like capillary ring resting on the seat 5, as before described, and apart from the inner perforatedtube, leaves an annular vapor chamber or space adjacent to its inner side, this chamber eX- tending from the bottom of the trough to the lowest perforations in the inner tube and having a greater depth than width, these relative dimensions of the chamber or space I meaning certain capacity for the reception and movement of the vapor and presenting at its top to draft and flame influences but small area as compared with its carrying capacity. When the oil is vaporized at one side of the trough only, as occurs when a re duced flame is maintained, this chamber serves for protecting the vapor that it may distribute, by reason of its gravity, all around the burner in a manner now well known in this art. With quite low flame the oil for its maintenance may all be vaporized near or perhaps in the mouth of the feed pipe, and the ring being supported above the bottom of the trough at this point permits the free inflow of the oil or vapor from the feed-pipe to the vapor-chamber. To prevent the creeping of the oil from about the oil-inlet to the capillary ring, a recess is formed in the seat 5, as seen at 10, Fig. 2, and the ring spans the recessed portion as a bridge, with little or no contact with the walls. It will also be noticed that the base A has flanges 8 and 9 extending upward and outward from the tubeseats 3 and 4: and in a. sense continuing the trough proper of the base .111) to this level,

and in any event forming oil or vapor channels or chambers outside the combustiontubes to take care of any measure of oil or vapor escaping out of the burner at seats 3 and 4. No danger will come from presence of oil at these points, and the flanges are precautionary and desirable rather than essential to the ordinary operations of the burner. By thus flaring the flanges 8 and 9 outward, as shown and described, they aiford the desired security against overflow of oil or escape of vagrant vapor, but do not interfere with the proper inflow of air through the lower perforations 7 to the combustion-chamher.

It will be observed that the pipe E is inclined outwardly and downwardly from its connection wit-h base A, so that when said base is raised to extinguish the flame the oil will retreat from the portion of the pipe next to the burner, and thus avoid possible vaporization therein by reason of back-heating from the burner.

In starting the burner the burner-base is lowered by means of the lever O to bring the lighting-ring L to or beneath the oil-level,so that it may be ignited. The flame from this ring heats the burner parts,and soon the flame emerges from the top. of the combustionchamber, when the vapor generation becomes excessive, so that the vapor tends to pass up through or between the tubes without being sufticiently oxygenized, and thus produce a white flame. The consequence is that there is a lessened combustion within the chamber, and this acts to reduce the temperature, which furtherresults in a checking of such excessive vaporization. On the other hand, when the flame is about even with or somewhat below the top of the tubes the tubes become highly heated and tend to increase the vaporization of oil. It will thus be seen that burners of this class with unlimited oil-supply have inherent conditions incident to their operation for automatically maintaining a maximum flame.

In adjusting for a lowered flame the trough is raised to such position that the oil extends only partially over the bottom of the trough, and thus the oil is not only presented over a reduced vaporizing area, but at the same time the head of oil is decreased, rendering the flow into the burner more sluggishand of less volume.

What I claim is- 1. The combination in a burner with perforated tubes forming a combustion-chamber, an imperforate oil and vapor trough below said combustion-chamber and in communication therewith, of a ring of capillary material in said trough supported with its bottom edge intermediate the top and bottom of said trough, and means to supply oil directly to the trough below the said ring, whereby with high level of oil the capillary ring will be supplied with oil and with low level of oil vaporization may occur independently of said ring, substantially as described.

2. The combination in a burner with perforated tubes forming a combustion-chamber, and an imperforate oil and vapor trough below said combustion-chamber, and in communication therewith, of a ring of capillary material supported in said trough above the bottom thereof, whereby a vaporizing area is provided in said trough on a lower plane than the bottom of said ring, and an oil-supply pipe adapted to discharge oil directly onto the said vaporizing area below the said ring, and the top of said capillary ring extending upward to a point of proximity to the lowest perforations in the combustion-tubes, substantially as described.

3. In a burner, the combination with per forated tubes forming a combustion-chamber, and an imperforate oil and vapor trough below said combustion-chamber and in communication therewith, of a ring of capillary material supported in said trough above the bottom thereof, whereby a vaporizing area is provided in said trough below the bottom edge of said ring, and the said capillary ring constructed and arranged to leave a vapordistributing space adjacent to one of its sides and its top edge extending upward to a point that will be in close proximity to flame-jets occurring at the lowest air-inlets of the combustion-chamber, and a pipe for supplying oil having its discharge-opening to said trough on a lower plane than the base of the said capillary ring, substantially as described.

t. In a burner, the combination with perforated tubes forming a combustion-chamber, and an oil and vapor trough below said combustion-chamber and in communication therewith, of a ring of capillary material at one side of said trough above the bottom thereof, whereby a vaporizing area is provided in said trough below the bottom edge of said ring, an oil-supply pipe having its discharge-opening to said trough on a lower plane than said capillary ring, and the said capillary ring arranged in relation to said parts to provide a vapor-distributing channel of greater depth than width and having its top edge in close proximity to the plane of the lowest air-inlets .to the combustionchamber, substantially as described.

5. In a burner, the combination with the perforated tubes forming a combustion-chamber and a base forming an imperforate trough, of a capillary ring in said trough in position to leave a free oil or vapor way around the trough on a lower plane than the bottom of the said ring and in the direct line of heat radiation from the combustiomchamber downward, and an oil-supply pipe arranged to deliver the oil to said trough below the capillary ring, substantially as described.

6. The combination with an imperforate than the bottom of the capillary ring, substantially as described.

7. In a burner, the combination with perforated tubes forminga combustion-cham- ,ber, an oil and vapor trough below said combastion-chamber having its bottom depressed at one side, and an oil-feed pipe communicating with said depressed side, of a capillary-ring in said trough in position to leave a vapor space or chamber adjacent its inner side and supported with its lower edge above said depressed side whereby a free oil and vapor passage is provided under the capillary ring from the feed-pipe to the said vapor space or chamber, substantially as described.

8. In a burner, the combination, of an oil and vapor trough, a lighting-ring therein, the said trough constructed to provide a rest portion for the lighting-ring, a section of said rest portion recessed to a lower plane than the bottom of the lighting-ring and the oilfeed pipe communicating with said recessed section, substantially as described.

9. The combination with an oil and vapor trough having a capillary ring therein above its bottom, of an oil-reservoir provided with means for maintaining a substantially constant oil level communicating with said trough, and means for changing the relation of the trough and the oillevel maintained by said reservoir, whereby the base of said ring may be maintained above or below the oillevel substantially as described.

10. The combination with an oil and vapor trough and a capillary ring supported in said trough above its bottom, of an oil-reservoir provided with means for maintaining a substautially fixed oil-level communicating with said trough and means for changing the relation of the trough and the oil'level maintained by said reservoir whereby the base of said ring may be maintained above or below the oil-level, substantially as described.

11. The combination with an annular oil and Vapor trough gradually increasing in depth to one side, of a capillary ring supported with its bottom above the bottom of the said trough, whereby an inclined vaporizing area is provided in said trough on a lower plane than the bottom of said capillary ring, substantially as described.

12. The combination with perforated tubes forming a combustion-chamber and an oil and vapor trough provided withan oil-inlet and having its bottom gradually inclined up ward from said oil-inlet, of a capillary ring in said trough with its bottom supported above the bottom of the said trough and its top extending upward to a point of proximity to the lowest perforations in the combustiontube's, means for maintaining an oil-level and means for changing the relation of the oillevel and the trough, whereby the oil may be maintained at a level for supplying the capillary ring or may be maintained at a level below the ring over a greater or less area of the inclined bottom of the trough, substantially as described.

13. The combination with an oil and vapor trough provided with an oil-inlet and having a gradual incline upward in its bottom from said oil-inlet, of a capillary ring in said trough above its bottom, means for maintaining an oil-level and means for changing the relation of the oil-level and trough whereby the oillevel may be maintained above the bottom of the capillary ring or below the bottom of said ring over a greater or less area of the inclined bottom of the said trough, substantially as described.

14. In a burner,- the combination with perforated tubes form inga combustion-chamber, 10f an oil and vapor trough having its walls 1 constructed and arranged to'engage the lower ;edges of said tubes and support them at a point intermediate its top and bottom, and fzthe portions'of the base above the bottom i edges of the said tubes extended outwardly Sand forming annular chambers about the i lower ends of said tubesexterior to said com- 5 bustion-chamber,- substantially as described.

15. In a burner the combination with perforated tubes forming a combustion-chamber, of an oil and vapor trough below said combustion-chamber and in communication therewith andhaving seats for the said tubes and fianges on said seats extended upwardly in proximity to said tubes and forming annular 

